Method of and apparatus for drying macaroni and the like



A. GALLERANI.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING MACARONI AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.6, 1920.

1 ,388,702. Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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WITNESSES l/VVE/VTOR A. GALLERANI.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING MACARONI AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 5, 1920.

1,388,702. Y PatentedAug.23,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2-,

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a) I INVENTOR I dtym diam WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEINZ COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH,

PENN SYLVANIA.

PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION .03

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING MAOARONI AND THE LIKE.

Application filed April 6,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER GALLE- RANI, residing at Pittsbur h, in the county of Allegheny and State of zen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatus for Drying Macaroni and the like, of which im provements the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in methods of and machines for drying edible pastes, such as macaroni and the like. United States Letters Patent No. 1,217,439 were, on February 27, 1917, granted me for certain improvements in such apparatus; my present improvements in both method and apparatus constitute an advance over what is disclosed in the said Letters Patentan advance which has particular value and application in the drying of macaroni, as distinguished from spaghetti, for macaroni 1s more difficult to dry.

The accompanying drawings show apparatus in which and in the use of which my present invention is realized. Figure I is a view of the apparatus, partly in vertical section, partly in side elevation; Fig. II is a vie-w of the same, partly in horizontal section, partly in plan. The planes of section are indicated by the lines II-II, Fig. I and II, Fig. II.

Such material as macaroni and spaghetti is formed from a very smooth but relatively dry paste or dough; it is formed by extrusion through a die; and, when formed, it requires to be thoroughly and completely desiccated, that it may be preserved for long and indefinite time, that it may readily be sold, and that it may be brought to proper condition for cooking.

In drying, there is need for care, experience, and judgment. The drying must be thorough; it is not sufficient that the surface of the material become hard and bonelike. The same condition must obtain throughout; for, otherwise, after a short time, the moisture still retained in central portions will disseminate itself toward the surface, and the material will then be in condition to spoil. And it is understandable too that the operation of drying, if al lowed to proceed too rapidly,'will eflect at the beginning such a superficial desiccation Specification of Letters Patent.

Fennsylvania, citi- Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 371,638.

and shrinking as will actually obstruct delay and prevent the removal of moisture from deeper portions.

In production on commercial scale, macaronr has to be handled in quantity, and, for dry ng, it is hung on racks, in the manner indicated in my earlier patent referred to. A word of further explanation here may, however, advantageously be added. Macamm is extruded from the press in continuous length and, in ordinary operation, a great number of strands hang together from the die plate. As these strands lengthen, an attendant grasps a handful of them and cuts them away, at approximately the length required for further treatment. He then lays the hank across a spindle, raises the spindle, and distributes the individual lengths of macaroni, so that they hang from the spindle like fringe. The spindle is then placed in a temporary rack, where the edge of the fringe is trimmed, and then. the spindle with its burden is transferred to a rack within a drying chamber, such as that of my prior patent alluded to, or that which I am about to describe. When drying is ended, the finished macaroni is of course re moved again on these spindles, and slip ed thence into packing case, or otherwise isposed of.

The problem is to dry macaroni thoroughly, and in a minimum space of time, while it hangs in quantity as a fringe from the spindle of the drying apparatus. This problem is not adequately solved (at least, not for such difiicult material as macaroni, which is of relatively large diameter and tubular in form) merely by causing a current of warm air to sweep through the hanging fringe. To do merely that, giving due heed to temperature and to the hygrometric condition of the air flowing in the current, will of course effect drying; but the time element requires to be considered; and, furthermore, one cannot by. such means alone eflect auniform rate and degree ofdrying throughout the entire charge within a drylng chamber-n0r even a uniform condition throughout the strands of the fringe hanging from a single spindle.

I find it necessary (and herein lies my invention, so far as concerns method), not merely to bring the material to be dried within a chamber properly heated and ventilated, wherein as drying progresses air of certain temperature and hygrometric condition is maintained, but further to produce such a swaying of the fringe and such a displacement of. the strands of the fringe,

1 the individual strands of the fringe are constantly changing in position relatively to adjacent strands. There are no pockets of dead-air, but the desiccating stream has free and sure access to the fringe in every part.

This effect I gain by effecting oppositely directed, abruptly successive pulsations in the air-pulsations which sweep the fringes longitudinally. Such pulsation may be effected by setting up at suitable intervals of time either a blowing or a suction impulse, upon the fringe; preferably the impulse is exerted longitudinally of the fringe, and at the two ends, alternately. By such means the fringe is kept agitated, in waves which traverse the fringe from end to end, and in their progress keep the individual strands distinct and separate, always in motion, and always in changin position relatively to adjacentstrands. The effect is'such evenness in access of dryingair, to the surfaces of-the material, and such a movement of drying air over the surfaces where drying is in progress, that even such difficult material as macaroni, handled in bulk as described, may be effectively dried in short time.

Turning now to the drawings, the drying chamber is formed by and within the walls 1. This chamberwill of course be suitably placed,.that air suitable in degree of humid- 1ty and in temperature may have access to it. In these walls, preferably at top and bottom, openings 2 are provided, with valves or doorsto vary and control their effective areas. Other door-controlled openings 3 are provided, primarily for purposes of charging and emptying. Suitably disposed within the chamber are heaters, conveniently steam coils 4; in this instance these coils are arranged, and ordinarily the will be ar ranged, at the bottom of the c amber. Hy-

i grometer and thermometer are provided they may be placed as indicated at 5), and

it will be understood that a proper setting of doors controlling the several openings 2- and 3 anda proper controlling. of heating apparatus will effect such circulation of air as to maintain within the chamber an atmosphere of desired degree of temperature and of desired degree .of humidity.

Within the chamber 1 racks of macaroni are placed; the spindles are indicated at 6, the macaroni itself by the letter A. Confining attention to the racks of macaroni which constitute the third block or section from the left-hand end, as shown in the drawings, it will be seen that there are in the section about eighty spindles loaded with hanging fringes of macaroni; that these spindles are arranged side by side in a sucession of parallel rows; and that the whole eighty lines of fringe (more or less) are arranged in a space which might be marked. off by planes spaced apart at a distance which is the common length of all the spindles.

At opposite sides of this section, so disposed as to blow or suck in a direction longi tudinally along the lines of fringe, are fans 7. These are conveniently rotary fans, mounted on a common axle 8, driven from a motor 9. It will be understood that as each blade in its revolution passes across the end of each line of fringe, it sets in motion a current of air longitudinall of the fringe. It willnext be observed of the two fans mentioned that the blades are so set that they pass in alternation across the end of any given line of fringe. Finally, it will be noted that the opposite blades of each fan (each fan has in this instance two blades) are set in one and the same plane. Or, stated in another way, the successive blades are, with respect to the axis of rotation, oppositely inclined. The effect of this last. feature is that each fan alternately blows and sucks upon the individual line of fringe, or having regard to adjacent sections between which the fan is set, each fan blows alternately in one direction and in the other.

The effect has already been indicated: Each line of fringe is by these means raised into a succession of waves, which waves progress, traversing the line of fringe from end to end; and in such manner during the maintenance of drying conditions within the chamber, and so long as fans 7 are turned, thewhole body of macaroni is constantly and minutely agitated, every strand is constantly changing in its position relatively to each adjacent strand; the pocketing of dead air is avoided; all surfaces are with substantial equality exposed to drying conditions, with the result that the drying process progresses with uniformit and accordingly t e operation as a who e is improved and accelerated.

Having so particularized in describing a single section within the chamber, it remains only to say that a succession of sections is arranged within the chamber, together with a corresponding succession of fans. The heating coils are conveniently arranged beneath opposite ends of each section, and adj acent each fan. Odd spaces at the ends of the chamber may be filled as shown, ever though these'odd sections are so disposed that they come under the influence 'ofa single fam-rather than of two. It will be understood that even the passageways about the central sections (best shown in Fig. II) may, after the sections are filled, be filled with additional laden spindles. As noted above, fans between sections with opposite blades disposed in one plane will impart a blowing, first into the section on one side, then into the section on the other.

Operation (in which my improved method is realized) consists simply in charging, in rotating the fans slowly, and in controlling ventilation and temperature, according to instrument readings and in the light of experience.

It remains to be said that in one charge of the chamber both macaroni and spaghetti may be dried, and, further, of such progressive drying as a charge Undergoes while the charging operation is in progress,all such irregularities and unevennesses will take care of themselves, for the whole charge of the chamber will in operation come substantially to a uniform degree of dryness; that which is incidentally too dry will be arrested in drying or even grow moist again; and the charge will advance in dryness uniformly, until the whole is dry.

I have in the foregoing specification de-' .scribed the apparatus with some minuteness of detail. It must be understood that the showing is in large measure an exemplary one. In the ensuing claims I define what is of the essence of the invention. Beyond this, variations are permissible without departing from the field of'my monopoly.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described method of dryingmacaroni and the like, hung fringe like from asupport, which consists in maintaining the material in an atmosphere adequate to effect drying and, while so maintaining it, subjecting it to swaying impulses, alternately opposite in direction and operative in abrupt succession one upon another.

2. In a machine for drying macaroni and the like, means for sustaining the material in hanging fringe-like position, .means for maintaining a drying atmosphere about the material so sustained, and means for exert-- ing uponthe fringe in abruptsuccession, op-

positely directed, swaying impulses, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for drying macaroni and the like, the combination with a drying chamber, means for heating said chamber, means for causing a circulation of air through said chamber, and means for controlling temperature and circulation, of means for suspending within said chamber a fringe of hanging macaroni or the like, such circulation causing means including two fans arranged on opposite sides of said suspending means and adapted to exert on the material suspended between them successive oppositely directed swaying impulses, substantially as described.

4. In a machine for drying macaroni and the like, the combination with a drying chamber, means for heating said chamber, of means for suspending within said chamber a fringe of hanging macaroni or the like, and means arranged at opposite ends of such fringe for exerting upon the intervening length of fringe successive alternately directed swaying impulses.

5. In a machine for drying macaroni and the like, the combination of a drying cham ber, means for supporting a fringe of macaroni or the like within the chamber, a fan arranged within the chamber and adapted to impel air currents longitudinally of the hanging fringe, the successive blades of said fans being, with respect to the axis of rotation, oppositely inclined.

6. In a machine for drying macaroni and the like, the combination of a drying chamber, means for supporting two fringes of macaroni or the like within the chamber, such fringes extending parallel in direction and arranged at an interval longitudinally one from another, a fan arranged in the interval between the fringes so supported, said fan being rotary on a fixed axis, the blades thereof being oppositely inclined with respect to the axis of rotation, substantiallyas described.

In testimony hereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALEXANDER GALLERANI.

Witnesses BAYARD H. CHR s'rY, FRANCIS J. TOMASSON. 

